MARKET REPORT

MARKETS jumped higher yesterday as Washington and Beijing enter ed the weekend as friends.

The FTSE 100 rose by 68.53 points to 6,292.6, a 1.1 per cent change on the day before.

It came as reports emerged that China will start buying more American agricultural goods, in a sign of a thaw in the tense relationship between the two countries’ governments.

The FTSE was pushed higher by Aveva and Taylor Wimpey, the latter making up lost ground from Thursday when it announced plans to sell more than £500million worth of new shares.

The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Aveva up 177p at 4,161p; Taylor Wimpey up 6.2p at 148.95p; and United Utilities up 38.6p at 978.2p.The biggest fallers were Whitbread down 68p at 2,365p; Land Sec down 17.2p at 605.8p; and British Land down 7.5p at 405.2p.